Used 2003 Acura MDX SUV Consumer Reviews
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I love my MDX
andy3631, 03/23/2013
2003 Acura MDX AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
46 of 48 people found this review helpful
I have had my Acura for about 7 years now and I absolutely love it. I bought it with 70,000 miles on it and I currently have 209,000 miles. I have never had any major problems with it. I actually drove about 2000 miles from Chicago to California and it drove great. I hope to have it for another 200,000 miles.
Keeps on going
rquigley1, 01/14/2012
2003 Acura MDX Touring AWD 4dr SUV w/Nav and Entertainment System (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
21 of 22 people found this review helpful
I was the 2nd owner. Bought in 4 years ago with 100k on the odometer. Super reliable. Changed timing belt at 140k and follow the service recommendations. I do all my own work from fluids to plugs etc. Read some posts about a tranny shift problem and noticed a little hesitation around 170k. I did a triple flush of the AT fluid and care is running just fine. I expect to get it to 200k and then buy the current body style acura. Only real problem is a hum in the stereo and loud whine in the rear dvd system after about an hour of operation. For the money- a super car.
best car yet
klaire funderburgh, 09/09/2018
2003 Acura MDX Touring AWD 4dr SUV w/Nav (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
bought this car with 182xxx and i’ve put 6,000 so far. owned it around 4 months and has 0 problems. drives and rides so much better than any other car we’ve had, chevy, jeep, honda and ford. i LOVE the inside and out, both are very nice looking and stay clean fairly easily. i’m a nanny and have car seats in and out of car all the time...LATCH system makes it easy to install and remove and leaves plenty of space for kiddos. nice sized suv. i live at 9000ft in conifer colorado and it does just fine on all out twisty roads even with power steering issues. seems to have descent traction on ivey roads. overall i’m in awe at acura, they really did a nice job with this one
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Thinking of an '03 Acura MDX? Run Away!!!!!!
mvegastar, 02/21/2012
2003 Acura MDX Touring AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
77 of 87 people found this review helpful
My husband and I have owned a lot of different makes and models in our time, but we have had the WORST experience with our '03 Acura MDX. We are the 2nd owner of the car, clean carfax report, bought it with 48K miles. Owing it less than 4 yrs, not including regular maint such as oil changes, brakes and tires, we have spent over $15k on repairs! Two transmissions, a motor, a paint job and breaking down on vacations twice to name some if it! This car has been a nightmare and Acura could care less since we bought it used. When reading other reviews, the transmission is clearly a problem, but has there been a recall? Nope. I hope sharing our experience will help others avoid the same pain
Documented transmission problems
tom, 09/18/2009
2003 Acura MDX Touring AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
17 of 18 people found this review helpful
With problem after problem for my 03 MDX I thought I heard it all when local acura dealer informed me that one out of four 01-03 mdx's will need the transmission replaced! This from a so called luxury car? Check the web and you'll see it's true. Don't buy this year range, cause you'll have a 25% chance of failure.
Transmission Trouble Twice
Stacy, 04/12/2018
2003 Acura MDX AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
We had a transmission rebuilt and a month after the warranty, it went out again. Mechanics say-stay away from 2003s. Other than that VERY costly repair, its a fantastic SUV.
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Disguised minivan
bmwguy, 03/02/2007
2003 Acura MDX AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Bought a 1 year old used MDX with 14000k, drove about another 45k over 2.5 years. Roomy, mostly reliable, but NOT sporty. Closest to a minivan in ride and handling. Neither tough enough for offroad nor secure enough for sporty driving. Replaced starter under warranty, but scheduled dealer service pricey with frequent transfer case oil changes. Did I mention my dealer maintained creampuff did not hold value for a trade at an Acura dealer? Don't let Acura tell you this a a luxury car, just because it has leather seats. Mediocre stereo.
Pretty Lil Thing BUT....
Anny B, 03/07/2020
2003 Acura MDX Touring AWD 4dr SUV w/Nav and Entertainment System (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I absolutely love my 03 MDX. I bought it used and the interior was immaculate and the exterior was also. It still looks brand new. But what I didn't do was research this year model. Seems that the transmissions tend to go out in them. I started having shifting problems so I looked it up and that's when I learned about the bad transmissions. Took mine to a great tranny guy who is as honest as can be cause he could have easily said it was the transmission but he didn't. He found a wire that had been chewed into and replaced it. Total out of my pocket, $75.00. Every now n then it acts like it's in neutral when you give it gas but not often. Now it has motor problems. I was told several causes so I started with the most likely, catalytic converter. Bought brand new and replaced. Didn't fix it. It smokes, uses oil and gas now which is something it never did before. Nothing happened that I know of to have caused this and a compression check is on the agenda. To sum it up, even tho I love this vehicle, it has been a headache almost from day one. It only had about 190xxx miles on it when I bought it and when it's good it's great but that's been few and far between. Research the vehicle you're looking at, trust me, it will save you money and a headache.
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Better than my 3 grand cherokees
george ganem, 09/14/2006
2003 Acura MDX Touring AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I have always been pleased with owning this vehicle compared to my previous three grand cherokees. There seems to be less driver compartment room than the jeeps, but the ride is much smoother and quieter. Gas economy is better in the acura. Always felt the acura is a step up from most other suvs. Being 6'4" tall, many other suv models are more crowded in the drivers area.
2 yr 3 month ownership (happy)
logun, 05/17/2012
2003 Acura MDX Touring AWD 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 5A)
21 of 25 people found this review helpful
Bought this SUV for my wife in late 2009 early 2010, with 74,500 miles on it. We've put 23,000 miles on it (+ or -). We've had it dealer maintained as it was from the previous owner (we r 2nd owner). We've made sure to maintain the transmission (both frnt & rear diffs as well) as AWD or 4 x 4 vehicles require this otherwise it breaks. We have replaced shocks, struts, motor mounts, window regulator & a tensioner set. The pwr steering does quit when we hit a large puddle till the belt dries (within a few sec.) Otherwise it's been a great vehicle. She even runs low to mid grade octane gas without issue.
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